meticulous
Americanadjective
Synonym Usage
See painstaking.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of meticulous
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin metīculōsus “full of fear, fearful,” equivalent to metī- for metū- (stem of metus “fear”) + -culōsus, extracted from perīculōsus “dangerous” ( see perilous)
Explanation
Someone who is meticulous pays extreme attention to detail. If that person is, say, your surgeon or your accountant, you'll definitely want them to be meticulous! The Latin root of meticulous is metus, which means "fear." Someone who's meticulous is afraid of what will happen if they're not careful enough to get every detail right. "Detail-oriented" and "perfectionist" are other ways of describing someone who cares deeply about the small things and about getting things exactly right, every time. Concert pianists must be meticulous, because audiences are always listening for wrong notes.
Vocabulary lists containing meticulous
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for High School Students, List 1
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List 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Delivering droplets onto the parched crops requires meticulous preparation to identify suitable clouds.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
It helps that we’re both very meticulous and detail-oriented.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
It has also raised questions over how Singapore - known for its tight controls and meticulous checks - failed to detect the alleged trafficking and even approved some of the adoptions.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
When the younger Sousa became its conductor at age 25, he recruited woodwinds to balance the blaring brass instruments, expanded its repertoire by transcribing symphonic works, and led meticulous rehearsals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
IVF proved lengthy, meticulous, frustrating, and ultimately unsuccessful.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
